The Phone Call I Never Wanted to Get, and My Unconventional Path to the Draft

April 6, 2016   ·   Shaq Lawson   ·   Jump to comments

The following is a first-person narrative from former Clemson defensive end and current 2016 NFL Draft projected first round draft prospect Shaq Lawson on overcoming personal adversity on and off the field and how he plans to succeed in the NFL, as told to Bleacher Report's Ty Schalter. 
 
My junior year of high school, all my dreams were coming true. I was choosing between a lot of Division I scholarship offers in football, while getting ready to help defend our state title in basketball.
Then I got the phone call that changed my life forever: My parents' car had been hit by a drunk driver.
Before I got that call, my mother and father had always been there for me. They'd been helping me achieve my dreams since the day I was born. I was a very long baby—that's why they named me Shaq.
My father played college basketball in my hometown of Central, South Carolina, at what's now called Southern Wesleyan University. My mom always ...

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